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Sunday, August 19, 2007

Real ID are "travel documents". Internal passports in disguise.

I have argued that the Bush regime is intent on forcing internal passports to control the movement of the American people, or to make it easier to monitor them. Bush, like his former protégée Tony Blair, is anti-liberty at the core. He wishes to expand state power in order to impose control on private citizens.

I have received no small amount of criticism, especially from big government conservatives, who believe this was an exaggerated fear. They say there is no attempt to force internal passports, as the socialists in Russia used, on the American people. Oh, really?

First, the Bushites pushed through the Real ID law, it basically established a form of national identification which would be administered by the states. But under the federalist system, or what is left of it, the states can opt out. But what happens if a state opts out? Then Big Brother pulls out his big stick and starts hitting people over the head.

Homeland Security brownshirts are getting nasty. The creepy looking Michael Chertoff, who himself ought to be tried for conspiracy to undermine the Constitution, has threatened the states that are opting out. He is basically saying that he will get nasty to all citizens of these states unless their legislatures fall into line and obey the Fuhrer. Chertoff warned a meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures that unless they follow his orders their citizens will be required to show passports for “federal purposes”.

What is a “federal purpose”? One, you won’t be able to board a US plane without producing a US passport even if you are flying within the US. Federal buildings will be off limit to you. If you want to file a suit in federal court you won’t be able to exercise your right to do so without first producing a passport to gain entry. Don’t bother visiting Yellowstone, its a federal park. Considering the states saying no to this measure the Bush Administration is basically taking 19 million Americans hostage in order to FORCE compliance, in violation of the Constitution.

It is important to realize that "federal purpose" is in fact an undefined and limitless term. It can be used anyway the Department of Homeland Security wants. It has no precise definition. This is not defined by the law but gives unelected bureaucrats at DHS the power to expand the definition as they choose. They say: "DHS may consider expanding these official purposes through future rulemakings to maximize the security benefits of REAL ID." Congress is not involved. New rules expanding the purpose of the ID can be established anytime DHS feels like doing so.

Every US citizen will be required by law to register with the government. You will be mandated to go to the local DMV office (how lovely in itself) and secure a federally approved ID which then allows you to travel. Without it, no driving. Without it no airplane trips. And no doubt they will be able to demand it without notice anywhere, anytime.

Seven states have passed laws against Real ID. Another six have passed resolutions against the program. Another 15 are considering such legislation. That won’t stop these individuals.

The conservative Heritage Foundation, a sham organization pretending to support limited government, has a spokeswhore out pimping for the Bush administration. Bill Walsh, from Heritage, has sold out loyalty to the Constitution and federalist principles, to further the security state of Bush. Shame on Walsh and I hope funders of Heritage start withdrawing their funds to these political whores.While Chertoff sounds like some Reichmarshall for 1930s Germany he looks frighteningly like Riff Raff from the Rocky Horror Show. But Riff Raff wasn’t as creepy or dangerous.

Chertoff has given the whole game away with a comment he made trying to scare legislators into supporting these new draconian ID regulations. He said: “For terrorists, travel documents are like weapons. We do have a right and an obligation to see that those licenses reflect the identity of the person who’s presenting it.” Read that one more time just to be sure you have what he said.

These licenses are “travel documents”. There was a time you had a driver’s license only to show you could supposedly drive NOT to allow you to travel per se. But Chertoff sees Real ID as much more than that. It is a travel document -- something which you must present in order to travel. These are permits to travel. They are internal passports. And without the travel documents that Chertoff is imposing on you then your ability to travel as a free citizen within the borders of your own country will be severely restricted. This is a dramatic reversal of a basic freedom. Free nations has assumed citizens have the right to travel and that right can only be infringed if the individual in question has committed a crime. The presumption has been freedom to travel. This law presumes you have no right to travel unless you hold a government travel document. It is a measure meant, not to control terrorists -- the catch-all excuse for every exercise in tyranny engaged in by this pathetic, dangerous and traitorous administration--it is a measure meant to control you.

Please note that little has been done to actually try and capture bin Laden. He is out there free while you are being penned in bit by bit. Bin Laden is not the target. You are.

DHS pretends this is not national ID because the federal government "is not issuing the licenses". If it is not federal than why are they coercing the states to comply? Chertoff wants it both ways. He wants to force states to implement this federal regulation while pretending the federal government isn't doing it. He says they are not creating a federal data base just having the states create such collections. Yet once established it is a simple step to link the data centers into one national network.

Riff Raff has been very clear that you won’t be permitted to fly without a federal passport or Real ID. You won’t be able to enter federal property without it. That would include federal buildings and parks. And it may well include federal highways as well. To show the stupidity of this administration please note that Comrade Chertoff says you must have a passport to enter a federal building (which would include post offices) but to get a passport you must enter a federal building! It's hard to figure out if Chertoff is as stupid as his boss or even dumber. How can one apply for a passport to enter a federal building if one must first have the passport to enter the federal building?

Chertoff is using the nasty tactics of the Bush regime to try to force states into issuing what amounts to a national ID card that doubles as an internal passport. He knows that if every citizen in a state is banned from flying without going through passport control that the states will eventually cave in. And given the impossibility of obtaining a passport under the Catch-22 by the Moron Administration the only way out is Real ID.

The good news is that the Republicans are going into the dung heap with this election. The bad news is that not one of the leading Democrats appears willing to unravel the fascistic intertwining laws that are making a mocker of American freedom. Every Democrat ought to be demanding a few concessions from their candidates.

But don’t expect Hillary to do any this. Or Obama for that matter. That’s the bad news. Just as the Bush Party stabbed the principles of small government conservatism in the back the Democratic contended are intending to do the same thing to their followers. Unfortunately by the time you figure that out it will be too late. Here is what you can do.

Join the Privacy Coalition now. Put pressure on the local politicians to pass resolutions (at the city and county levels) against these measures. And lobby the state legislature to pass laws forbidding state compliance with this law. Lobby the candidates of the party you support to oppose these measures and make them pledge to the four part program to restore basic liberties in America. Finally, don't delay. Do it today.